The Federal Government has called for a united front through stakeholders’ alignment of strategies to win the fight against trafficking in persons in Nigeria.
The Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, made the call at the 28th National Stakeholders’ Consultative Forum/Summit on Trafficking in Persons (TIP) organised by the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons(NAPTIP) and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), yesterday, in Abuja.
Fagbemi stated that while Nigeria has continued to reflect on progress made and chart the way forward, the result will be much more when partners align their strategies for coordinated implementation.
He said: “This year’s anti-trafficking event stands as a clarion call to action for policymakers, implementers, communities, and the global community to intensify efforts, align strategies, and, ultimately, end the exploitation of our people.
“Nigeria has continued to demonstrate strong and consistent leadership among the comity of nations in combating human trafficking. We have led regional and global collaborations, enacted robust legal frameworks, and established the institutional framework through NAPTIP that has become a model on the continent.
“However, we cannot be complacent at this stage as the criminal elements are always on the prowl.” The minister noted that human trafficking remains a grave threat that undermines Nigeria’s human capital development, sponsors other forms of organised crime, fuels corruption, and intensifies the exploitation of innocent Nigerians, especially the most vulnerable among us.
He said: “As an organised criminal activity with high profit and low risks, human trafficking is highly sophisticated, profit-driven, with yearly profit of over $245 billion, according to the International Labour Organisation (ILO) official report of 2023. A breakdown of this indicates $169.9 billion for Sexual Exploitation, and $75.9 billion from forced labour in the private sector, including domestic servitude.”
“The operational milestones recorded by NAPTIP from inception to date, with 25,642 victims rescued (of whom 73.8 per cent are females and 48.1 per cent children; arrest of 11,406 suspected traffickers, and 750 convictions (comprising 469 males and 281 females), are worth celebrating, considering the intricacies involved in obtaining a single conviction, in a highly sensitive and clandestine crime.
